Seasonal Cook column on Brussels sprouts. Don Murch is one of the very few organic Brussels sprouts growers in the state. Photo of him at his farm in Bolinas with his Brussels sprouts.
Event on 10/19/04 in Bolinas. Craig Lee / The Chronicle

Photo: Craig Lee

Seasonal Cook column on Brussels sprouts. Don Murch is one of the...

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Seasonal Cook column on Brussels sprouts. Don Murch is one of the very few organic Brussels sprouts growers in the state. Photo of him at his farm in Bolinas with his Brussels sprouts.
Event on 10/19/04 in Bolinas. Craig Lee / The Chronicle

Like the recently departed Rodney Dangerfield, Brussels sprouts get no respect. California's Department of Food and Agriculture doesn't even list the savory little cabbages in its annual crop report, and if this state doesn't acknowledge them, no state will, because California is the only significant producer.

"I never think of them as getting much ranking," says chef Annie Somerville of Greens restaurant in San Francisco, herself a Brussels sprouts enthusiast. "It's not a top-tier vegetable."

Consumers may cringe at the recollection of school cafeteria lunches with khaki-colored, steam-table sprouts. But conversations with several Bay Area chefs suggest that they actually like this vegetable -- probably because they know how to cook it. If they could only agree on how to cook it, the rest of us would know what to do.

"People have committed war crimes against Brussels sprouts, probably all of them on Thanksgiving Day," says Charles Downing, the longtime chef at the now-closed Spiedini in Walnut Creek and chef-owner of Flavor, which is set to open later this month in Santa Rosa.

Worthy of prosecution: putting Brussels sprouts in an aluminum pot and "cooking them for three years," says Downing. "You get the Black Sea effect." The dark, disgusting water comes from sulfur compounds in the vegetable reacting with the metal. Not pretty.

Some slice 'em

Downing prefers to slice Brussels sprouts very thinly, practically shredding them, then to saute them quickly in olive oil with pancetta, garlic, chile flakes and lemon. If the sprouts are on the large side, he'll add a splash of water or stock and cover them briefly until just done or, at most, "a wee bit past al dente."

Cut to Greens, the famed San Francisco vegetarian restaurant, where one might expect these diminutive cabbage cousins to be treated with deference.

"People enjoy them as long as they're well cooked," says Somerville. "Everybody has that same response to Brussels sprouts that are undercooked."

At Greens, this autumn vegetable is either blanched, then sauteed, or it's roasted in a covered pan with olive oil, garlic and a little stock, and added to a winter vegetable ragout. Asked if she planned to experiment this fall with the trendy shredding technique, Somerville's disdain was apparent. "We're keeping them intact," she says.

Others shave 'em

David Seawell, new executive chef of Fog City Diner in San Francisco, proclaims himself "a big fan" of the little crucifer, especially when they're prepared as he learned to make them at San Francisco's Boulevard. Shaved thin with a mandoline, the sprouts are sauteed with pancetta, shaved shallots and sliced chestnuts. "It's all done really fast because everything is so thin," he says.

Attempted in a home kitchen, this method produced sprouts that cooked dry before they cooked through. Richard Crocker, an assistant to Boulevard chef Nancy Oakes, later clarified the technique. It's OK to add some water or stock, he says, and to cover the skillet if needed to get the sprouts to doneness.

As Thanksgiving approaches, local markets give sprouts the only spotlight they get all year. Some stores and farmers' markets sell them on the stalk to suggest freshness, but all the sprouts on a stalk don't mature at the same time so you typically get a range of sizes, from immature to overgrown. Purchasing loose sprouts allows you to pick those of similar size, so they'll cook evenly.

Brussels sprouts, one of the last cabbages to be domesticated (probably in Belgium), enjoy California's foggy coastal climate, thriving where artichokes do, in sun-challenged areas like Pescadero and Half Moon Bay. Santa Cruz County has 1,000 acres, San Mateo County around 700, and that's about it for Brussels sprouts in this state.

They're a troublesome crop, subject to all manner of disease and pestilence, from aphids, cabbage worms and nematodes to black rot and mildew. Commercial growers have to rely on chemical pesticides and fungicides to bring in a successful harvest.

Don Murch, a Bolinas farmer with a third of an acre planted to Brussels sprouts, says he is one of a minuscule number of people growing the vegetable organically. The key is multiple small blocks, rather than one large one.

"The minute you try to have too many together, there are problems," says Murch. "I never have more than four rows together at a time, and they're widely spaced. I've had 20 rows at a time, and you end up just plowing them under."

It doesn't hurt that Bolinas has a near-perfect climate for the fussy crucifer. Organic crops have to be happy with what they have, says Murch, and at least his sprouts can't complain about the weather.

Not surprisingly, Murch gets a fat premium for the organic harvest of his Gospel Flat Farm. He planted 2,000 Brussels sprout plants last spring, each of which should gross him about $10 if nature cooperates. Not bad from a third of an acre. It would take a full acre of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to generate the same revenue.

Murch belongs to the blanch-and-saute school of cookery. After boiling the sprouts until tender, he drains them and transfers them to a smoking-hot skillet with peanut oil. "You want to char them ever so slightly," he says. Seasonings include garlic, hot pepper flakes, a little sambal (Indonesian chile sauce) and oyster sauce, and sometimes a trace of sesame oil.

Chefs who advocate boiling recommend salting the water heavily so the sprouts get seasoned all the way through. Boil them whole or, if large, cut them in half lengthwise, through the base. Test often by piercing with a knife. Five to six minutes is usually enough; longer will bring on the dreaded cabbage smell. Drain well and return to a skillet with the seasonings of choice, which can be as simple as butter, chopped parsley, salt and a few drops of walnut oil.

With peak season nearing, chefs are dusting off favorite Brussels sprout recipes and plotting some new ones. Greg Severn, chef at the Fox and the Fiddle in Clayton (Contra Costa County), likes to saute shaved Brussels sprouts in brown butter and says he is working on a potato-Brussels sprout gratin.

At Cetrella in Half Moon Bay, chef Lewis Rossman buys sprouts from a local grower and prepares them in his wood-burning oven.

After a preliminary blanching, the halved sprouts are tossed with lemon wedges, bacon and butter, then consigned to the blazing-hot oven until everything crisps.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 teaspoon or more caraway seeds, ground coarsely in a mortar or spice grinder

Salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Trim the base of the Brussels sprouts and cut an "X" in each to help the sprouts cook faster. Boil until just tender, about 5 minutes; test by piercing with a knife. Drain and cool quickly under cold running water. Pat dry, then cut the sprouts into halves and slice thinly.

Heat the olive oil, pancetta, garlic and hot pepper flakes in a large skillet over moderate heat. When the garlic is fragrant and the pancetta just begins to crisp, add the Brussels sprouts and the caraway seeds. Stir until heated through. Season to taste with salt.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine the butter, chives, capers and mustard in a small bowl and mix until smooth.

Mince the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt and stir it into the butter. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cut the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise, or leave whole if small. Boil until just tender, about 5 minutes, test by piercing with a knife. Drain well and return to the warm pot. Add the flavored butter and stir well.